The holiday of Purim is fast approaching, which means I’ll be posting some Purim-friendly recipes over the next few weeks. Today’s treat is my rich and delicious poppy seed cake.
Why do we eat poppy seeds on Purim? The tradition finds roots in the intermarriage between Queen Esther and her husband Ahasuerus, the king of Persia. Esther was Jewish, King Ahasuerus was not. When Esther came to live in the king’s palace, tradition says she became a vegetarian in order to avoid eating food that was not kosher. She got her protein from nutrient-rich seeds, nuts, and legumes. Many Jewish families celebrate Purim with a vegetarian meal in honor of Esther, which includes items like chickpeas, nuts, and– you guessed it– poppyseeds!
The Feast of Esther by Jan Lievens – ca 1625-26
This poppyseed cake is dairy, making it a good choice as the sweet ending of a vegetarian kosher meal. It’s pretty rich, so I’ve used lowfat dairy to take some of the guilt out. I highly recommend the warm lemon glaze; it takes this cake to a whole new level of yum.
Oh, and here’s a friendly heads up: if you are about to take a new job that requires a drug test, skip this cake. Poppy seeds can cause a false positive for heroine use. So if you’re filling out job applications, think twice about this one. Try some fruit or chocolate-filled hamantaschen instead!
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Purim Poppyseed Cake with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 cup poppy seeds
- 1 cup lowfat milk
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs separated (room temperature)
- 3 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup lowfat sour cream
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
Lemon Frosting Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Warm Lemon Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp water
- Powdered sugar for dusting
You will also need
- 9-10 inch Bundt cake pan, electric mixer, sifter, wire cooling rack & parchment paper (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-10 inch Bundt cake pan (12 cup capacity) and set aside.
- If you like a less crunchy cake with a more pronounced poppy seed flavor, grind the seeds in a coffee grinder. If you prefer a crunchier texture, leave the seeds whole. In a small saucepan, combine poppy seeds (whole or ground), milk, and honey. Stir till combined and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let mixture boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes.
Place poppy seed mixture into a mixing bowl along with butter and sugar. Beat on high until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add egg yolks to the mixture and beat again on high. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and sour cream and beat until blended.
Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
Gradually add wet ingredients to dry.
Use an electric mixer to beat everything together until well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure all dry ingredients are fully incorporated.- In a separate clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks.
Gently fold the egg whites into the poppy seed batter.
Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Bundt pan depths vary, so make sure the batter fills the pan ¾ full or less. Do not fill beyond ¾ or your cake might overflow during baking. Use a spatula to gently push the batter to the outside of the pan, pushing slightly up the walls. This will help to get rid of any air pockets that might interfere with the pretty details of the pan.
Smooth the batter on the top so it is flat and even all the way around the pan.- Bake cake in preheated oven for 55-65 minutes. When the edges darken and pull fully away from the sides of the pan and the cake browns all the way across the surface, it’s ready. You should be able to insert a toothpick into the thickest part of the cake and have it come out clean.
The top of the cake might be a bit domed. If it bothers you, you can trim it down with a knife to flatten—and snack on the freshly baked trimmings. Yum!- Let the cake cool for exactly 10 minutes, then invert it onto a flat plate. Tap the Bundt pan gently to release the cake. If your cake sticks, use a plastic knife to carefully loosen the cake around the center tube and sides. Allow cake to cool completely.
I have a few topping options for this cake. You can pick one, two, or all three toppings… using all three makes this pretty sugary and decadent. If you’re only picking one, pick topping #3. Toppings #1 and #2 are pretty, but #3 takes this cake to a whole other level of deliciousness.
Option #1: Dust the cake with powdered sugar. To keep things neat, I like to do this part on a wire cooling rack with a piece of parchment paper underneath to catch extra sugar. You can simply do it on a plate if you prefer. Put 3 tbsp of powdered sugar into a handheld mesh strainer or sifter. Sprinkle sugar onto the top of the cake by tapping the strainer or sifting to release an even shower of sugar around the surface of the cake. Pretty, simple, yummy.
Option #2: Frost the cake with lemony frosting. Again, best to put the cake on a wire cooling rack with a piece of parchment paper underneath to catch the drippings. Mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice in a small mixing bowl to form a tangy frosting with the texture of thick honey. Pour the icing into a Ziploc bag, guiding the icing towards one of the lower corners of the bag. Cut the very tip of that corner off the bag. Drizzle the icing onto the cake in a zig-zag pattern by squeezing the Ziploc bag gently to release the glaze. Allow icing to dry completely before serving—this usually takes about 30 minutes.
Option #3: Warm lemon glaze. This is my favorite topping of the three! In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar with 3 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp water. Warm up the glaze till it’s heated through and bubbling around the edges. Pour a few tablespoons of hot glaze over the warm cake slices just before serving. Oy. Vey.
MARCH 20th! The cake looks amazing!
You are so right Nancy! Can you tell I didn’t get enough sleep last night? Burning the candle at both ends over here. Correction has been made. Enjoy the cake!
Yumm! this cake looks wonderful
Barb Erdman Poppy Seed Hammentashen are also one of my favorites.
So I think I can get around well enough my my crutches now to bake this!!! It sounds sooooo good! Thank you for another great recipe, Tori. And I LOVE the historical information and photos you provide, always. Thank you! Many blessings to you,
XOXO
Carol Esther
Ready to have some fun with that beautiful red Kitchenaid Mixer!
Hey Barbara! Barb, here’s my recipe for hamantaschen poppy seed filling: link to theshiksa.com
Carol, great to hear from you! Hope you’re back on your feet and off the crutches soon.
Hello Shiksa!
You and all of your readers are invited to a picnic in Altadena, Ca, Farnsworth Park, March 19…starts around 11am-ish until 5 or ? Potluck! I love your bloggy goodness and so, meet a bunch of other bloggity types. Please come!
more info: altadenablog@gmail.com
Looks rich and musty- must have more!! Will be trying this very soon. I coming on here and not just for the recipes. Thank you for this site.
This is fantastic as to the illustrations of the recipe and the history lesson is outstanding. I will forever be a fan of your website. Thank you so much.
Awesome! Wasn’t born Jewish, but I can definitely see the good points (they all are!). Love reading your blog and using your recipes. Thanks so much!
Patrizzi, thanks for the invite!
Judy, Nancy, Laura– yay! I’m so happy you are enjoying the blog. Comments like yours keep me energized. Thank you!
Tori, have you seen this music video about hamentashen? It’s crazy. “Haman’s Hat”
link to youtube.com
I can’t wait to make this cake! It looks so good! I have to go buy a bundt pan though before I do
I also really like that you add the history on your blog posts. I have a cookbook called Olive Trees & Honey and it does that and that’s what I love most about it. I know nothing about my Israeli heritage other than my grandma was Israeli. So this is a great way to learn thanks again 
Thanks Tori! I’m getting around on the crutches and a walker pretty good now… I’m printing out this recipe. I’m so excited to learn everything about Purim!
Shabbat Shalom!
It’s no use, resistance is futile. On my way to the store to buy poppy seeds. This cake looks so good I can’t help myself.
I used this recipe as mini-muffins for part of our mishloach manot, and my kids have almost eaten them all! I might need to make a second batch. Baked them for 12 minutes…they came out perfectly. Thanks again, Tori!!
Hi Tori – Here’s a pic of how mine turned out: link to tinypic.com I used a silicone bundt pan which is why the definition isn’t as great. Looking forward to tasting it once it cools! Certainly made the whole house smell delicious.
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Too late for this year, but I wanted to mention to Meredith above that you can improve the definition from a silicone baking form by putting it inside a similar metal form. If you don’t have an exact copy of the bundt pan, a more basic angel food pan or cheesecake springform pan is good enough to help hold up the sides.
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I’ve been looking for a poppyseed cake recipe!!!! My mom used to make one when I was a child. This looks delicious!!! I need a reason to bake it now, or I will just have to wait until Purim and bring it into my office.
Tori- can you think of a way to do this with less than 2 sticks of butter?
I cannot wait to go back home to make it again. <3
Hi,
How many grams of butter are used in this yummy cake? Our unsalted butter is in 250 gram blocks.
Thanks